This post will be a bit offtopic since I will be talking mainly about my music transport and less about the ADI-2 but working on my audio chain made the RME sound on a different level entirely. What I'm about to share is what I've found by doing different tests in my setup and my personal opinion so take it as is.
I'm using my gaming PC (Asus Prime Z270-A MB) as audio source/transport for my RME ADI-2. I've learned by doing tests for several years that almost everything matters in audio, everything adds a few %'s in sound quality. For my audio chain I'm using the Matrix Element H pci usb card powered by a Linear Power Supply, this goes to the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 that connects to the RME via Coax. Comparing it with direct USB from PC to the RME this upgrade adds a bit of clarity to the sound and makes it sound less harsh, the USB implementation on the RME is very good. If you find the sound a bit harsh you can try the optical toslink, gets very close to the Matrix chain. The differences here are very small, but worth it for me.
What I found that made a very big difference in sound was my ethernet chain. From outside it is connected via fiber optics but my router had a switching psu. I had a Linear psu so I tested it to see if it does something. Acording to the 'experts' ethernet is immune to noise etc. and it should sound the same. Well for me it did NOT sound the same. The difference between the power supplies was very big, the sound was again much better, more analog in nature, less harsh. This was a big upgrade. You can also test this by preloading a song and unplug the ethernet cable from the PC, this should stop the noise and see if it sounds better in your system.
With the last upgrade I thought I was done with the network part of my audio chain by using the Linear psu for the router. Recently saw a video about audiophile network cards with test songs and by listening to that video the differences were again very obvious for me. But since my bias was against it I had to test it myself and see. All this because I've read many forums on what the 'experts' had to say about networking and audio, that it should not make a difference, that everything is a scam etc. So the next step was to see if my motherboard ethernet connection was the problem, and this was easy. I bought a cheap PCI-E ethernet card AXAGON Gigabit PCEE-GRH for 10 euros. Honestly I had no expectation but since it was so cheap I had to test it and see. Well that was easy, installed it and it worked w/o any drivers. The first song with the new card and I was in awe. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Everything sounded so much better, music had more body to it, more texture, cleaner with no harshness, a very big upgrade to my audio chain with just 10 euros by using a network card instead of my motherboard's ethernet connector.
Since the 'experts' said it was not possible to sound different and I found it does, and by a lot, naturally I had to step it up to an audio specific network card where I could use a linear psu. I've decided to get the JCAT NET Card XE, this was the card used in the video I saw with the test songs. Installed it with a bit of problems the pci bracket is a bit misaligned so I can't screw it into the case. Getting past that issue, I didn't have a 5V Linear psu so had to power it via Molex from PC. I expected to sound a bit better then my other cheap network card, but I was wrong again. Honestly I've never in this hobby experienced a bigger sound upgrade like this one. I could not believe it how much of an impact it has on the sound. A veil is lifted from the sound, everything sounds more analog, no harshness, I've heard things in songs that I have never heard before. The instruments sound more lifelike, voices have an amazing texture to them. There is a decay to the instruments, just addictive. And all of this while using PC power via Molex, can't imagine what a good linear psu will do to the sound. A few years back I had the Chord DAVE with the HD800S headphones, with the chain I have now by adding the JCAT NET Card XE the RME ADI-2 sounds like it plays in the same league as the DAVE, but I prefer it more as it doesn't force the sound to you, it is more relaxing in nature.
If I was to believe the 'experts' I would have not discovered how much of an impact a network card had in my system. There is a lot of people that say this doesn't work without testing it themselves, always use your ears to test things out, I regret it that I hadn't found out this sooner. And about the RME ADI-2, just amazing, honestly I can't find any fault to the sound anymore, it sounds analog, lifelike, no harshness, just incredible. Now I'm patiently waiting for the RME 'ADI-3' as my next DAC upgrade.
As always, it's best to test on your own ears so that you won't be disappointed later.
